Star Trek 764: The PsychoCrystals

764. The PsychoCrystals

PUBLICATION: Star Trek #34, Gold Key Comics, October 1975

CREATORS: Unknown (writer), Alberto Giolitti (artist)

STARDATE: 19:27.4 - Follows issue #32.

PLOT: The Enterprise visits planet M-23 which is rich in crystals, but these crystals reflect different facets of one's personality and even cast emotions at those that threaten them. After a rough night of paranoia, the landing party is captured by crystalline humanoids who reveal the crystals are actually their babies. Taken underground to their civilization completely based on the arts, Kirk, Scotty and McCoy are kept under constant guard by the crystals' laser eyes. Spock beams down and he's captured too even though the babies can't manipulate his emotions. When a giant crystal dragon attacks, a dragon immune to their laser "thoughts", Kirk sees a chance to show his good faith. He uses a baby to reflect Spock's scientific thoughts at the creature, a new kind of thought that it is not immune to. The landing party gives the crystals scientific textbooks to give them an advantage against their monsters, leaving a transformed society behind.

CONTINUITY: None.

DIVERGENCES: You know, I really don't think the writers of this series know Scotty is an engineer. In this one, he asks Spock to dumb down terms like "base metals". Scotty is apparently a better rock-climber than Kirk.

PANEL OF THE DAY - Scotty in hangover denialREVIEW: A fair story, with an odd alien race that reminded me somehow of Bizarro World.The first half is your standard "landing party goes insane" story, but with a funny "dangerous psychoanalysis" idea behind it. The latter half ends with Spock shouting chemical formulas at a dragon. Make of that what you will. Though the silliness isn't unappreciated (and not played for laughs), the comic is hampered by Spock's callous comments about the destruction of the crystals' artful paradise. His dismissal of song and poetry just doesn't ring true.